Art of paper conversion



Feb. 4, 193 6. F. c. SCHUELER 2,029,446

ART OF PAPER CONVERSION Filed Aug. 9, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet l F i936- F. c. SCHUELER 2,029,446

ART OF PAPER CONVERSION Filed Aug. 9, 1933 5 Sheets-Shet 2' Feb. 4, 1936. Q SCHUELER 2,029,446

ART OF PAPER CONVERSION Filed Aug. 9, 1935 55118815-511881'. 5

Feb. 4, 1936.

F. c. SCHUELER 2,029,446

ART OF PAPER CONVERSION Filed Aug. 9, 1953 5' SheetsSheet 4 Ill?! 5.

Feb. 4, 1936. F G H ELER 2,029,446

ART OF PAPER CONVERSION Filed Aug. 9, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ART OF PAPER CONVERSION Application August 9, 1933, Serial No. 684,405

14 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the electrical circuit controlled by the gear set shown art of paper conversion.

One of the important objects of the invention is the provision of a device for perforating, slitting, and rewinding a web by a machine wherein the rewinding operation is automatically transferred from a mandrel on which the cores have been filled to a mandrel bearing empty cores.

More specifically stated, it is my purpose to provide a mandrel turret in which a number of mandrels are revolublc; to rotate the turret slowly while rotating one of the mandrels at winding speeds; to bring a second mandrel to winding speed in immediate proximity to the web passing to the first; to sever the web upon completion of rolls on the first mandrel while at the same time bringing it into operative contact with adhesively treated cores on the newly rotating mandrel; and to bring the mandrel with fully wound rolls to rest so far as its rotation on its own axis is concerned, for the substitution of a new mandrel with empty cores during the continued slow rotation of the turret. It will be noted that these objectives are secured without stopping the machine or the feed of the web from the parent roll.

It is a further important object of the invention to provide a means for mechanically fixing the size of the rewound rolls. It is ordinary practice to estimate the number of sheets or the weight of the desired roll; to take samples from time to time as a check upon the accuracy of production; and to readjust the machine in accordance with the information gained by the check- Such methods are wasteful as the operator must either run the risk of producing undersized rolls or must produce rolls which exceed by a safe margin the requisite number of sheets.

or weight. It is my purpose to provide a machine which may be set for, and will, accurately produce any desired size of roll within the limitations of current standard practice.

In the drawings: A

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine embcdying this invention.

in Figs. 4 and 5.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view taken in section on the line indicated at 1-'| in Fig. 1.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view taken in section in the plane indicated at 88 in Fig. '7.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic longitudinal cross section through the machine, illustrating some of the operating principles.

Figure 10 is a modified form of mandrel drive shown diagrammatically and in end elevation.

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic view in end illustration of a modified form of mandrel drive.

Figure 12 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation, of a modified form of cut-off device.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

The machine frame It includes bed rails ll upon which shoes I2 slidably support open sockets I3 for a shaft l5 carrying parent roll I6. Beneath each shoe is a downwardly opening half nut I 'I detachably meshing with a feed screw l8 for feeding the shaft l5 toward the machine as the web is unwound therefrom. As the web becomes exhausted, shaft I 5 and the respective shoes may be lifted bodily from the supporting rails ll having made room at the end of such rails for the placement therein of an alternative set of shoes and a fresh parent roll. 1

The web leaving the parent roll l6 passe over a die roll 2| of usual form supported on the main power shaft 22 which is driven by a motor 23. A gear 24 on the main shaft 22 meshes with pinions 25 on shafts 26 and 21 to drive felt rolls 28 and 29 respectively. Also driven from gear 24 is a gear 30 on shaft 3| upon which a reel 32 carries six perforating blades 33 co-acting with the notched periphery of die roll 2|. The machinery just described operates in a well known manner to provide transverse series of perforations at intervals across the entire width of web 20.

For toilet roll purposes it is necessary to subdivide the web 20 longitudinally by means of slitting or sawing operations. For this purpose I have illustrated on shaft 34 a. series of toothed cutting disks or saws 35 driven by a pinion 36 from the large gear 31 at the front of the machine. The web is supported during the slitting operation by a wooden block 39 adjustably supported in a transverse channel member Ill (Fig. 1). The saw shaft 34 is adjustable to and from the block by means of a hand lever 4| connected by link 42 with arms 43 fulcrumed concentrically i6 and-the mandrels detachably engaged by the chucks thereof, is' a pan 52 for adhesive in which a glue roll or adhesive transfer roll 53 rotates for the delivery of glue to empty cores positioned on i the successive mandrel shafts 50. Between the station occupied by the full roll in Fig.9 and the station occupied by the mandrel whose cores are receiving adhesive from transfer roll 53, is'th'e portion of the circuit in which the operator removes from the turret the mandrel bearing the .filled rolls and substitutes therefor the fresh mandrel with empty cores. 7

'It will benoted that the design of the machine is such that as the turrets rotate through the position in which the parts appear in Fig. 9-, the

slit webs passing to the fully wound rolls at the right hand side of the figure are being lowered by rotation of the turret, while the freshly glued empty cores on the mandrel shown at the left are being raised toward. the path of web movement. Just before there is any actual contact between the web and the freshly'glued cores, means is provided for releasing the arms 54 which adjustably carry cut-oifknife 55. Tension springs 56 cause the cut-off knife '55 to descend rapidly across the path of the webs, severing the webs and bringing their free ends into contact with the adhesively treated cores upon which the new rolls are to be formed. The adjustment for the cut-ofl knife as illustrated in Fig.. 1 allows the knife to be set to hold the webs in contact with their respective cores upon the mandrel during the commencement of the new rewinding operation. As the web passes about the core it is confined by the smooth face of the knife, thus ensuring contact of the paper with the core and a smooth rewinding job.

I In order that the webs may adhere to the new cores, it is necessary that the cores be rotated at a. peripheral speed very closely approximating the rate of travel of the webs at the moment of contact. This rotation must be continued during the winding operation, and then may be permitted to cease in order that the mandrel containing the full roll may be removed from its chucks and a mandrel with fresh cores substituted. I show a. variety of means for rotating the mandrels during the web attaching and the rewinding portions of the cycle and allowing each mandrel successively to come to rest at the point at which mandrels are exchanged.

In the preferred constructions as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, '7, and 8, a pulley 58 on the main drive shaft 22 at the front of the machine carries a belt 59 which is tensioned by an idler 60 to drive pulley 6| on a sleeve shaft 62 (Figs. '7 and 8) which is slightly eccentric with reference to turret shaft 45.

A rubber drive roll 64 on the eccentric sleeve shaft 62 frictionally engages wheels 65 on the driving chucks 41 in the upper sector of the orbital movement of said chucks, but is freed. from engagement with driven wheels 65 in the lower sector of the orbital movement of thechucks. Fig. 8 shows two of the wheels 65 in contact with the driving roller 64 to receive motion therefrom. while the third wheel is out of contact with said 65' carried by the several chuck spindles as such; wheels .or pulleys contact the belt in the course of rotation of the turret spiders 46. V

Fig. 11 discloses a further modification of the invention wherein each of the chuck spindles is driven by a' separate motor 10 energized by con- "tact of its brush or brushes H with a sector *shaped commutator i2 suitably supplied with current. The electrical motor is somewhat to be preferred to a pneumatic motor or hydraulic motor by virtue of the convenience with which the sector shaped commutator may be used to energize the motors over the proper portion of their f cycle of rotation.

Standard toilet rolls are usually supposed to contain some multiple of twenty five sheets. As above pointed out, it has heretofore been im possible to achieve the exactnumber of sheets with any degree of accuracy. The present invention incorporates a means for automatically sizing the rewound rolls to contain exactly the number of sheets desired, and the invention also includes a means for readily adapting the ma chine for producing a number of rolls of different conventional sizes. In order to make this apparatus operate simply andefiectively, it is desired to establish some relation between the. automatic cut-off mechanism between the number of sheets segregated by the operation of the perforating blades 33, the number of sheets desired, and the number of sheets comprising the unit of variation (in this case twenty-five sheets).

For convenience it is first desirable to provide a shaft which will make one rotation for each sheet passing through the perforating mechanism. Toaccomplish this, a pinion is provided at 15 meshing with gear 31 and having a number of teeth bearing the same ratio to the number of teeth in gear 31 that the number of cutting blades 33 bears to unity. Since there are six cutting blades in the device illustrated the pinion 15 will have one-sixth as many teeth as gear 31, and thus I is adapted to make one rotation for each operation of a cutting blade producing a sheet.

Shaft 16 upon which pinion i5 is mounted, constitutes the driving shaft for the gear set now to be described.

Its motion is transmitted,

through worm Ti and worm gear 18 to shaft 19 along which an adjusting lever carrying pinment by means of a spring pressed pin carried in its handle as shown in Fig. 5. The two pinions 8i and 82 mesh with each other, and pinion 8| is splined to shaft 19 to turn therewith.

By the manipulation of lever 80 the driven pinion 82 may be meshed selectively with any one of the gears 83, 84, 85, 86, 81, 88, 89, or 90, on driven shaft 9|. The driven shaft in turn carries a worm gear 92 meshing with worm wheel 93 upon shaft 94. An arm 95 carried by this shaft on the outside of the gear case rotates in a path to engage consecutively the operating levers 96 and 91 of switches 98 and 99 which are adjustably mounted on.a disk I00 fixed with reference to the gear case. Switch 98 is a normally closed stop switch connected in series with switch IN (ill and solenoid I02 across the source of current I03 as shown in Fig. 6. Y

As soon as both of switches 98 and IIII are closed, and the solenoid I02 is energized, the attraction of the solenoid for its armature I04 will maintain switch IOI closed against the tension of spring I05, thereby supplying'current through the heavy line circuit from source I03 to the motor 23 i which operates the machine.

When arm 95 carried by the driven shaft 94 of the gear train strikes lever 96 to open switch 98, spring I05 immediately opens switch IM and breaks the circuit to the motor 23. Thereupon the machine operates only by momentum and gradually slows down. This retardation of movement is desirable in order to ensure proper transfer of the web from the full rolls to the freshly glued empty cores.

As soon as a transfer of the web has been made under the control of means presently to be described, arm 95 strikes lever 91, momentarily closing switch 99 and thereby re-energizing solenoid I 02 to close switch NH, and thereby re-establish the circuit to the motor. The motor immediately picks up its speed again and the rewinding operation continues on the new cores until the cycle is completed bya full rotation of shaft 94 and its arm 95.

Shaft 94 not only causes the machine to slow down as a preliminary of the transfer of the web and automatically re-establishes the circuit to bring the machine up to speed following the transfer, but shaft 94 is also responsible for the web severing operation. In the preferred construction shaft 94 drives a sprocket IIO which is connected by chain III with cam II2. A cam follower roller H3 is carried by rod II4 supporting the lever 54 upon which the cutting blade 55 is mounted, so that upon each rotation of the driven shaft 94 of the gear set, cam II2 makes one complete revolution to lift the severing knife 55 to its normal position above the web, support the knife in that position during the rewinding operation, and release the knife to permit it to penetrate the web under tension of spring 56, thereby severing the web and bringing the free end on to the freshly glued cores of the newly positioned mandrel. The gluing roll may conveniently be driven from the shaft which carries cam II2 as shown in Fig. 1.

Whereas shaft 94 must make a complete rotation upon the completion of each rewinding operation, the turret shaft 45 must only make one third of a complete rotation during the same period. This shaft is conveniently driven by a universally jointed shafting II5 coupled to shaft 9| and carrying a worm at 6 meshing with a worm wheel II I on the mandrel shaft 45.

Instead of the mechanical connections for operating the cut-off knife 55, equivalent electrical controls may be substituted as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 12. A switch I20 is positioned to be closed either approximately simultaneously with switch 99 or immediately in advance thereof. The circuit closed by this switch includes a solenoid I 2I acting on an armature I22 connected with the cut-off levers 54, said levers being in this instance supported by compression spring I23. Thus, the closing of the switch (which may in some instances comprise switch 99 itself) will draw down the cut-off knife to sever the web, and as soon as the circuit is rcken the spring I23 will lift the cut-off knife to its normally retracted position.

It will be observed that the gear set disclosed contains two fixed speed reductions and onevariable rate changer in series between shaft 16 which makes one rotation for each sheet of paper, and shaft 94 which makes one rotation for each complete roll. Because of the fact that standard rolls contains sheets, the number of which is supposed to vary in multiples of 25, it is conveniently possible in accordance with this invention, to produce all standard rolls by an arrangement in which the combined effect of the two worm and worm gear sets is productive of a base figure which is a multiple of 25, and the various changes of rate made possible in the rate changing mechanism represent fractions of which 25 is the denominator. Obviously, these fractions may be either greater or less than unity.

As an example, it may be assumed that for the sake of convenience worm I1 and worm gear I8 have a ratio of 25 to l, and the same ratio ob-- tains between worm 92 and worm gear 93. The combined eifect of the two reductions, neglecting any change of rate in the variable speed mechanism, is 625 to 1 or, in other words, shaft 94 will operate the automatic cut-off mechanism and transfer the web from one mandrel to another when 625 sheets have been wound, this being a conventionally accepted size of toilet roll.

In order to produce this exact number of sheets in the rewound roll it is necessary to have a 1 to 1 ratio in the variable speed mechanism. Such a ratio may be secured by driving through a 25 tooth gear 8| and a second 25 tooth gear 82 to a third 25 tooth gear 89. If gear 82 be meshed with a smaller 22 tooth gear 99, the number of sheets run off before the cut-off mechanism acts will be 22/25 of 625 or 550 sheets.

By using at 88 a 26 tooth gear, at 81 a 28 tooth gear, at 85 a 30 tooth gear, at 85 a 32 tooth gear. at 84 a 34 tooth gear, and at 83 a 40 tooth gear, it is possible to produce ratios yielding rolls of 650 sheets, 700 sheets, 750 sheets, 800 sheets, 850 sheets, and 1000 sheets respectively.

The change speed mechanism is shown in an adjustment such as to produce a one thousand sheet roll by multiplying the 625 reduction produced in the two worm and worm gear sets by 1-15/25 (the ratio between gear 82 and gear 83). Shaft 94, making one turn for each one thousand turns of shaft 16, will in each rotation slow down the entire machine, operate the cut-off knife and reestablish the electrical connections to build up the machine speed. In the meantime, although the turret shaft 45 is not operated from shaft 94, it partakes of the same movement and rate changes, being driven directly from shaft 9| of the rate changer.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various othercombinations of gear ratios might be employed to achieve the results herein described, but in each case it will be desirable to include in the combination a means for producing a basic rate divisibie by 25 and a rate changer adapted to produce fractional changes of rate of which 25 is a common denominator. The reference to '25 while tentatively directed to the number of rotations of shaft I5, really has primary reference, of cour:e, to the number of sheets. It is only for convenimce that shaft 16 is made by the ratios between gears '15 and 3'! to rotate once upon the passage of each sheet. Equivalent results may be obtained by choosing a different ratio for the drive of shaft I6 and compensating for the difference in one of the other gears of the set.

I have shown herein not only means for transferlng a web from one mandrel to another while the machine is in operation, but I have shown means for rendering the transfer automatic and for adjusting the automatic feature to count accurately the number of sheets rewound and to become effective upon the rewinding of any desired standard number of sheets.

'I have also disclosed herein a novel support for a parent roll which, however, will comprise the subject of a separate application since it is of wide application in the art of paper conversion.

I claim: 1; In a device of the character described, the combination with a continuously operable web feeder, a' plurality of mandrels and means for moving said mandrels with respect to the path of the web, of a web severing device, actuating connections for said web severing device and mandrel, moving means, and a change "speed v mechanism connecting said actuating connections with said web feeder.

2. ma device of the character described, the combination with web feeding means, web severing means and a plurality of mandrels, of conveyor mechanism uponwhich said mandrels are and said actuating connections and continuously operable to move said conveyor means at a. predetermined rate respecting the movement of said web feeding device, said severing means depending' for its operation upon the position of said conveyor means, whereby to vary the amount of web fed with respect to the timed sequence of operation of the severing means.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a web feeder, a plurality of mandrels and intermittently operative means for severing the web and transferring it from one mandrel to another, of motion transmitting connections between said feeder and said means including a high ratio reduction gear and rate changing gearing, said rate changing gearing being productive of a base speed and a series of relative speeds deviating from said base rate by fractional amounts of which the denominator of said base rate and the number are multiples.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a web feeder and a web cut-ofi knife, of motion transmitting connections for the intermittent operation of said knife in synchronism with the movement of said feeder, said connections including a plurality of shafts and change speed gears connected therebetween and potentially productive of a series of ratios of which each denominator is evenly divisible by 25.

5. In a paper converter, the combination with a web feeder, a web cut-off knife and a plurality of rewinding mandrels, of means for automatically advancing the mandrels successively into operative proximity to the web, means for intermittently operating the cut-off knife in synchronism with the arrival of a mandrel at the path of the web and actuating connections from said feeder to said cut-oil knife, and mandrel advancing means including a plurality of shafts, sets of change speed gears potentially connecting said shafts and respectively productive of a. series of ratios having a common denominator evenly divisible by 25.

6. In a paper converter, the combination with a web feeder, a web cut-off knife and a plurality of rewinding mandrelaof means for automatically advancing the mandrels successively into operative proximity to the web, means for inter-, mittently operating the cut-off knife in synchronism with the arrival of a mandrel atthe path of the web and actuating connections from'said feeder to said cut-off knife, and mandrel advancingmeans including a plurality of shafts,

sets of change speed gears potentially connecte ing said shafts and respectively productive of a,

series of ratios having a common denominator evenly divisible by '25, and a high ratio speed reducer in series with said gears and productive of a rotation ratio having a denominator evenly divis ble by 25.

7 a combination, a web feeder, a plurality of mandrels, means for successively advancing said mandrels to the path of theweb, means for cutting the web intermediate two of said ma'ndrels and maintaining the free end thereofv in operative proximity to the 1earmostmandrel whereby toeifect a transfer of the web thereto, common actuating connections for said feeder and cutter and said mandrel advancing means, and mechanism automatically connected to receive motion from said connections for retarding the movement of said connections pending the operation of said cutter and the transfer of said web.

8. In combination, a web feeder, a turret, mandrels rotatably mounted on the turret and adapted in revolution thereon to approach successively the path of the web, a cutter reciprocable across said path in operative proximity toa mandrel advancing thereto whereby to effect transfer of the free end of the web to said mandrel, a common source of power and operative driving connections therefrom to said feder, said cutter. and

said turret, and means operated through-said connections for intermittently interrupting the application of power from said source to said connections in synchronized precedence to the operation of said cutter.

9. In combination, a web feeder, a rotor driven thereby, change speed connections between said feeder and rotor adapted to permit of variation of the amount of web issuing from the feeder per rotation of said rotor, a web severing device, motion transmitting connections from said rotor including means for the intermittent operation of said device, a prime mover for said feeder,and

switch mechanism controlling said prime mover and provided with connections operated in accordance with the rotation of said rotor for the periodic interruption of power from said prime mover to said feeder and said rotor immediately preceding the operation of said cut-off device.

10. The combination with a web feeder and a web cut-off device, of reduction gearing connecting said feeder and device, a motor driving said feeder and device, and a switch provided with connections synchronized with the operation of said cut-oil device for mechanically interrupting and subsequently restoring power to said motor, whereby to slow said feeder during the operation of said device.

11. In combination, a web feeder, a. plurality of mandrels, a turret upon which said mandrels are rotatably and revolvably mounted to successively approach the path of the web, means eccentrically disposed with reference to said turret for driving mandrels in operative proximity to said web, a cut-01f knife adapted to sever the web for delivery of its free end to an approaching mandrel, motion transmitting connections for the intermittent operation of said knife and the synchronous revolution of the turret, said connections being operatively connected with said feeder, a source of power for said feeder and connections, and a timing device driven from saidv connections and operatively adapted to interrupt periodically the application of power to said feeder and said connections pending the operation of said knife and the transfer of said web from one mandrel to another.

12. In a device of the character described, the combination with a turret and an eccentric driving wheel, of chuck spindles rotatable upon fixed axes in said turret and provided with driven members engageable by said wheel to receive motion therefrom at a predetermined point in the revolution of the turret, and rewinding mandrels engaged by said chuck spindles to receive motion therefrom.

13. The combination with web feeding and sheet demarcating means, of a plurality of means for receiving sheets, a conveyor adapted to advance said sheet receiving means successively to a sheet receeiving position, an interrupting device intermittently operable to intercept the movement of sheets to one of said receiving means and deflecting sheets to the other of said receiving means, connections for the actuation of said conveyor and the intermittent synchronized operation of said interrupting device, and a sheet counter operatively connected with said web feeder and sheet demarcating means and provided with mechanism for the transmission of motion to said connections in the course of the delivery of a predetermined number of sheets, means for periodically and temporarily retarding the movement of said feeder and the connections driven in synchronism therewith through said counter, and trip means carried by said counter for the automatic operation of said retarding means precedent tothe operation of said sheet interrupting device.

14. In combination, a web feeder, a plurality of web winding mandrels, means for automatically and positively severing the web after a predetermined interval of winding upon one of the mandrels and simultaneously pressing the web into engagement with a following mandrel, and means for automatically slowing down the operation of said feeder preparatory to such transfer of the remaining portion of the web to the following mandrel.

FREDERICK CHARLES SCHUELER. 

